Dad to the rescue as he delivers new baby boy

As a car salesman Limavady man Brent Crawford is used to delivering vehicles, but just a week ago he was forced to step outside his comfort zone to deliver a baby.

His wife Susie had gone four days past her due date for the couple’s second child, but when little Calvin finally arrived he did it in a hurry.

Brent Crawford with his eldest son Jack and newborn son Calvin, who he delivered himself with the help of a phonecall to a paramedic

At 5.20am last Saturday morning Brent was awoken by his wife and told it was time to go to the hospital.

Just 23 minutes later they were the proud parents of a second child, delivered in their Limavady home by Brent who was talked through the delivery by a paramedic from Altnagelvin Hospital.

Talking to the News Letter, Brent recalled the excitement of a week ago. The 33-year-old said: “When Susie said it was time to go I got my keys and phoned my mum and dad. They were coming to keep an eye on our other wee man.”

The couple’s first child Jack, who will be three at Christmas, was asleep as the commotion began.

Brent Crawford with his eldest son Jack and newborn son Calvin, who he delivered himself with the help of a phonecall to a paramedic

Brent said: “Mum and dad are only 20 minutes away. In the meantime Susie said, ‘I can actually feel this baby coming, would you ring an ambulance?’ I rang 999 and got a paramedic on the phone.

“He said, ‘make sure your wife is comfortable and just have a wee check there to see how things are progressing’.

“So I had a wee check and I could see the baby’s head. I couldn’t believe it.

“The ambulance man said, ‘you’re going to have to stay on the phone and you and I together are going to have to deliver this baby’.

Mum Susie on the way to the hospital in an ambulance with Calvin

“So basically I had my dressing gown on, I had the phone glued to my ear and he was talking me through everything I had to do.”

Brent, who has been in the motor trade since the age of 19, was told to get towels to wrap the baby in when it was born and a shoelace to tie the umbilical cord.

He said: “I went back in to Susie and in the meantime I think there might have been only four or five contractions and the baby was out.

“We did panic a bit when the wee head came through. There was no life, it was purple. The ambulance guy on the phone told us it was completely normal, and that the next push the baby will come out and we’ll hear crying.

“Sure enough the next push, out he popped, and thankfully started to squeal.”

Brent said that as Calvin arrived so too did his mum and dad, just in time to calm Jack who had woken up and started to cry.

“It’s an experience I’ll take to my grave,” said Brent.

The ambulance arrived just before 6am and it was not until then that the paramedic who talked Brent through the birth ended the call.

“That guy was a guardian angel,” said Brent. “I’m trying to find out who he was so I can send him a ‘thank you’ card.”